


said never again (til death do us part)

by ellalopez



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F, Mentions of Blood, Post-Crisis
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-07
Updated: 2020-02-07
Packaged: 2021-02-27 11:20:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,263
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22306330
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ellalopez/pseuds/ellalopez
Summary: kara wakes up bloody and bruised to a new world, and she finds herself at lena's door.
Relationships: Kara Danvers & Lena Luthor, Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor
Comments: 13
Kudos: 318





	said never again (til death do us part)

**WHEN** Kara wakes up, it's to an ear-splitting headache that makes her head spin. She hasn't felt this kind of pain since-

Her eyes shoot open, heat vision burning lasers at the nearest object, and she screams in disorientation and fear, watching pieces of concrete crumble around her.

"What- where is everyone?! Barry, Kate, Sara, J'onn, Ryan-" Fragments of memories flash in her mind, and she remembers Sara's voice, the Anti-Monitor and Oliver, and the blinding overwhelming brightness of _something_ before blowing up. She fights the urge to scream again, gaining enough control to gather herself. She breathes heavily, trying to determine where she is. She scans her surroundings and sees one of National City's monuments a block away, and she sighs in relief. If she couldn't find her friends, at least she knew they were okay- they had to be, being Paragons like herself.

"We did it," she murmurs, half in awe, trying to stand up. For a Kryptonian, her body feels like it's been hit by a truck, and she grimaces at her now torn up super suit. Her arms are covered in scratches, a particularly deep gash in her shoulder, and there's a stinging at her hairline. She reaches up, hands stained with sticky blood, and combs her fingers through her dirty hair.

"Rao," Kara groans, staggering as she leans against the alley wall. She hovers, wavering mid-air, wondering if she has the energy to fly back to her apartment. _If it was even hers anymore._

A ringing comes from her ear, and she jumps in shock, static crackling over the comms.

"Supergirl?" someone asks, and she almost cries when she recognizes it as Alex. "You were supposed to be at the DEO twenty minutes ago. There was an alien attack, but J'onn handled it when you didn't show up." Her sister's tone lowers, and concern seeps through. "You okay, Kara?"

"Alex! Hey! I'm fine, just need a nap. I'll come by later, I promise," Kara says, blinking away tears. _J'onn and Alex were alive. The DEO was alive. National City was alive._

"Do you want me to do a check up? Make sure it's nothing serious?" Alex is so sweet and caring and _real,_ and Kara's heart aches. The logical part of her stops her from heading over immediately- Alex can't see her like this, not until everything is fixed and she gets her memory restored.

"No, no, it's alright. I love you, Alex. So much." Kara's voice cracks, and she can practically hear Alex's brows furrowing.

"I love you too," she replies, mildly confused, and the comms switch back to silence. A sob chokes in Kara's throat. She's exhausted, craving the warmth of sun lamps and a bed, and she can feel herself losing consciousness. She breaks into a jog, using the momentum to get her into flight better, and she takes off into the sky, deciding to head home.

She's so out of it, passing by sleek modern condos in a blur, narrowly dodging a skyscraper. She collides into a floor of a penthouse apartment building, only realizing when the impact of shattered glass hits her. Kara barrels into the hallway, landing into a crumpled heap in front of someone's doorstep. Wheezing and coughing out dust, she sees an obsidian marbled elevator at the end of the hall, and a glittering chandelier hanging above it. _This definitely wasn't anywhere near Hope Street._

She barely reads the numbers on the door, her mind dizzy, and registers this place as Lena's. _Of course her heart led her here._ She prays that it's actually her loft and not a random stranger's in this new reality, and raps on the door with her bruised knuckles.

_Would Lena even let her inside?_

The door swings open, revealing Lena with her hair in waves and dressed in a deep purple sweater. Her eyes widen at the sight of Kara- she's never seen her like this. She's shivering, bleeding and _terrified,_ gazing up at Lena like she can't believe she's there, and she sways slightly. She looks close to passing out, and Lena goes to grab her arm to steady her.

"Didn't know where else to go," she mumbles, and she collapses into Lena's grasp, sending them both to sink into a pile on the floor.

***

A cool, damp towel dabs at Kara's forehead, and she jolts awake, eyes of blue steel meeting green fire. Lena's reflexes are quick, holding Kara's head and waist before she falls off the couch.

"Supergirl. Nice to have you back." Lena grips Kara tightly with one hand and continues to wipe the blood from Kara's face with the other, and the Super melts at her touch. Her breaths have grown more stable, her muscles less rigid, and Kara untangles herself from Lena's hold.

"Lena, I- I'm sorry. I should leave," she says, worried that she’s upset her. The way Lena is looking at her contains too many emotions for her to decipher, and she can't tell if she knows her identity or not. Her cape rustles behind her as she scrambles to move, and Lena clicks her tongue, pushing her back down gently.

"We may not be on the best terms, but I'm sure as hell not letting National City's hero outside looking straight out of a zombie movie."

"First, ouch. Second, you... retained your memories?" The familiar crinkle appears between Kara's eyes. "Or do we have that professional work partnership thing in this reality too?"

"I can assure you, Supergirl, any partnership of ours is long over." Kara winces, from both the alcohol Lena is applying to clean her wounds and from the weight of her words. Anyone that knows Lena is aware that her grudges will be taken with her to the grave.

"I hope you know how sorry I am-" Kara repeats weakly, but Lena cuts her off, glaring.

"That being said, I'm not heartless. You can stay for as long as you need to heal, which I assume will take an hour at most. I've activated my radiation filters on the balcony doors to concentrate the solar energy for maximum sunlight."

"You have what now?" Kara’s face has an expression of pure bewilderment. _Why would Lena ever need anything like that as a human?_

"According to the makeup of this universe, we are each other’s biggest supporters, along with my hell spawn brother Lex." Lena pauses, swallowing a gag at the mention of him. Kara snorts but shuts up as Lena continues. "Clearly you would have made some visits like these in this timeline, and no matter what world we’re in, I always like to be prepared."

"How did you, uh, deduce all of this? I don't even- I helped create this and yet I know nothing." 

"I'm a Luthor. We're always three steps ahead." Kara falls quiet, wanting to say so much- how she's tired of all the fighting, going back and forth in a war neither of them can win. How she wants to fix things, but doesn't know how their relationship can be salvaged after being dragged through the mud. Lena stitches up her shoulder, winding string around her finger as she adds on. "I'm surprised Supergirl doesn't take Google into account these days."

"Oh, come on, Lena. Give a girl that just saved the multiverse a break, will you?" Kara quips, attempting to keep the conversation afloat.

"And said alien is to thank for the destruction of my private property," Lena scoffs. Her words aren't venomous, exactly, and Kara shakes her head, biting her lip apologetically at Lena, glancing sideways at her.

"I don't know if I have a job, but if I still work at Catco, I'll pay for it."

"You and I both know Andrea doesn't pay you enough for you to do so." Lena laughs bitterly, trimming the last strand of the thread. "There. You should be all set."

"Thank you, Lena," Kara says earnestly, wrapping her hand around Lena's wrist as she gets up to return the supplies to her cupboard. Lena drops the needle at the contact, eyes ablaze as she yanks her hand away.

"Boundaries, Supergirl," she snaps, picking up the needle from the carpet. Kara burns red in shame and embarrassment, her hand retreating back to her side.

"Of course. Yeah. Boundaries," Kara stammers. _For a friend like you, there are no boundaries._

The penthouse is silent, the only sounds being Lena washing her hands at the sink and pouring them both drinks. She fills her own glass with scotch, and Kara's mug with water.

"When Mercy attacked L-Corp, I told you the safest place for you to be was with me," Lena says suddenly, setting the mug on the table as she sips her scotch. Kara waits for her to move her hand before taking the mug, and she lowers her head, unable to look at Lena. "Yet you could've had her beaten to pulp in a heartbeat."

"I'm sorry," is all she comes up with, like it's the single statement in her vocabulary. "For making you willingly sacrifice yourself like that when I was bulletproof. For everything."

"We've established this," Lena hums, legs crossed as she sits on the couch opposite of her. "You're sorry, and I won't forgive you. Understand that, Supergirl, and this will be easier."

"Lena, please," Kara says, desperation creeping in. "I'm not going to give up on you. We can fix this, I know we can."

"You don't get to play me like a fool and expect my forgiveness!" Lena shouts, slamming her glass down and causing Kara to flinch. "Do you know how much it hurts to hear from your dying brother that _you_ shot, to reveal to you that you can't even trust your _best friend,_ the sole person you let your guard down for? That said best friend has been lying to you for _years?"_

"There was a time where I would've _died_ for you! Can you imagine? A Luthor taking a bullet for a _Kryptonian_ with literal indestructible skin?"

"I would've died for you too," Kara whispers. "Veins green, face sunken, in any state I would've protected you above all else." Lena stares at her coolly, unmoved by her declaration. "And I'm not indestructible, I have my weaknesses."

"Excluding Kryptonite," she sneers. "And anti-matter villains. That's not my point."

"Solar flaring," Kara offers. "And you," she says softly.

"Just _**stop,**_ Kara!" Lena yells, momentarily forgetting to use her alter-ego name. She freezes at the slip-up, like she's finally connected that this is _Kara_ she's yelling at, not just the symbol of blue and red that saves their city. Kara's breath hitches as she notices too.

"Lena, I-"

"No. You can't say things like that and just-" Lena can feel the sob rising, and she wants to punch her and kiss her and kill her with every fiber of her being. She buries her face in her hands, cursing the crestfallen hero under her breath.

"You can leave the same way you came in, _Supergirl,"_ she spits hoarsely. _Luthors are not weak. We do not cry for anybody, let alone a stuffed toy._ Lillian scolds her four-year-old self, her teddy bear soaked in mud after it fell from her backpack. _Hold your chin up high and let it go. Work hard, and perhaps you can buy yourself a new one._

_Except this time, she couldn't just buy herself a new Kara. Nobody could replace her._

_Despite her betrayal, she couldn't lose her._

Kara's boots pad smoothly on the floor, making her way to the balcony with little protest. She lingers, pressing the button for the glass panel to slide open, and decides to say her parting wishes.

"Wait," Lena calls, standing up and walking to her.

"Be careful," Kara says simultaneously, then turns around fully, surprised. "What?"

"What if we tried this again, Kara?" Lena's wringing out her hands, no spreadsheet planned for this, no grand speech or outburst. Her eyes are tired and swimming in heartbreak, but there's a glimmer of something else. _Hope._

"You- you're serious? I- _Wow."_ Kara looks at her like she's hung the stars in the sky _(how could Lena ever let her go?)._ She places her hand above her heart, beaming like the moon. "No more secrets, I swear."

"Let me be the judge of that," Lena laughs, a genuine smile spreading across her face for the first time in months. "You have quite a lot of explaining to do."

"Where do you want me to begin?" Kara asks nervously. Lena passes her the pair of glasses she retrieved earlier when Kara collapsed.

"Take off the suit, Supergirl. Tell me about _you,_ Kara Zor-El."

She does until the sun sets, and she breaks down over Krypton and Argo, Lena rubbing comforting circles in her back. She does in the morning, blushing when she comments on wrecking her alien detecting device _("You cheated!")_ before she's whisked away to put out a fire. She does when she returns, smelling of smoke and ash, and tells her that she loves her. She knows it wasn't the best excuse to hide her identity from her, and she's rambling when Lena admits she loves her too. She talks and talks until Alex screeches at her through the comms to hurry up, and Lena chuckles when she chokes on her breakfast, pastries she got from the bakery down the street. Kara hesitantly kisses her cheek goodbye, smudging her red lipstick, promising to see her as soon as she can.

It isn't perfect, but it's a start- and Lena marvels in their newfound peace.


End file.
